Airplane



Nov. 20, 1934. F. 'R. w Hll 'E 1,981,441

AIRPLANE Original Filed July l5, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 A f l.

Nov. 20, 1934. F. R. WHYITE 1,981,441.

AIRPLANE Original Filed July 15, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q INV N TOR.

ATTORNEY Nov. 20, 1934.

F. R. WHITE IRINVEZZOE. M MZ L A TTORNEY Nov. 20, 1934. F. R. WHITE 1 1 3 3 AIRPLANE Original Filed July 15, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q INVEN 0R.

ATTORNEY Nov. 20, 1934.

F. R; WHITE Original Filed July 15, 1951 AIRPLANE 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Nov. 20, 1934 F. R. WHITE 1,931,441

AI RPLANE Original Filed Jill 15, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet, 6

f INVEN q r R. BY r ATTORNEY Nov. 20, 1934. F. R. WHITE 1,981,441

AIRPLANE Original Fiied July 15, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 INVE TOR. M4116- F. R. WHITE Nov. 20, 1934.

AIRPLANE Original Filed July 15 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVIYT'I AIRPLANE Original Filed July 15, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet. 9

Nov. 20, 1934. F. R. WHITE 4 5-5 of Fig.3; I

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the Patented Nov. 20, .1934

murmur MM White, Glenn'Dale, Md.

time July is, 1931, semi N... 551,018

Renewed April 16, 1 934 sclaims icl. 244-19 This invention relates to an improvement in airplanes, and more particularly to a vertically rising and descending ship capable of hovering overa given point at a desired altitude and able" 5 to rotate slowly or rapidly, while in such location. It is also able to leave its position in any desired lateral direction by means of shifting the position of the driving motors and their axes.

Each main wing is provided with a set of sub- 0 sidiary rotary wings, which I term boostercopters, operated .in opposite directions at exactly the same speed by intermeshing. gearing, said subsidiary revolving wings being provided for the purpose of accurately distributmg the allotted 1 weight which wouldnormally come to each of the main wings to which they are attached, thereby diminishing the strain on the main wings and in creasing their eiliciency. 'The combined areas of the main wings .and boostercopters is sumcient so that in the event of motor failure, the weight of the entire ship descend gently, permitting a safe landing of the ship without mishap.

By reason'of the. use of the boostercopters and their eficiency'in sustaining the weight of the 5 ship, much smaller motors may be used for driving the ship than are usually required. These motors areneededfor propelling the ship forward during flight and for rotating the ship bodily in taking of! from the ground.

Brakes are applied for the control of the boostercopters in order to -retard the rotation thereof or to permit free rotation, as desired,

, in order to maintain an even keel on the ship, to regulate the descent thereof, or for eliminating 5 the necessity of banking in making a turn.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a ship embodyin my present invention;

Fig.2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through this form of ship; Fig. 4 is a detailed side elevation, partly in section, of the control for the motors;

Fig. 5' is a horizontal sectional view on the line boostercopters;

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of any form of ship embodying the invention;

Fig. 8 is an'end elevation thereof;

Fig. 9 is atop plan view thereof;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a monoplane showing the'boostercopters applied thereto; and

Fig. 11 is a top plan view thereof.

The invention may be applied to various types of ships, some of which are shown in the drawings, and in the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 9, the ships are adapted for bodily rotation in order to impart a lateral motion to the boostercopters to cause a lifting action thereon, while in the form shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the boostercopters are shown as applied to an ordinary type of airplane for increasing the lifting action thereof, permitting a take-oil! with a much greater load than customary, and lift the same in a much shorter distance.

In the form shown in' Figs. 1 to 6, the body of the ship is designated generally by the numeral 1 and is's'upported upon a turntable 2 by antifriction bearings 3, the turntable being mounted upon.rollers .4, which are ,io'umaled on vertical spindles 5. A hood 6'is can'ied by the body 1 and extends over the rollers 4, as shown, in.-Figs. 1 and 3.

The body ,1 is generally of pear shape and may ,be provided with-a rudder '7 and stabilizers 8, as shown, controlled in any suitable way. At its upper end,.the body 1 has main stationary or rigid wings 9 extending, laterally in opposite directions therefrom, and braced as at 10.

, The ship is designed to be driven by the usual- -mo tors l1, which drive propellers 12. The motors 11 are carried on the outer ends of tubes 13,

which extend through bearings 14 in the sides of the body 1; and-theinner ends of these tubes 13 are iournaled in a frame 15 suspended from the top of the body 1.

Hand-wheels 16 are flxedto the tubes 13 for turning the same, and which hand-wheels 16 have teeth 17 within the peripheries thereof to receive toothed segments l8 for locking the hand-wheels 16 in 'set positions. Each of the segments 18 is carried at the lower end' of a rod 19 and has a spring 20 bearing thereon, normally tending to force the segment into contact with the teeth 17.

end of each of the rods 19, and is pivotally supported on a portion of the frame 15. A link 22 connects the outer end of the lever 21 with an end of a foot-pedal 23, with which a spring 24 is connected, normally tending to force the same into its normal position.

Hand throttle levers 25 are pivotally mounted.

in the frame 15 and are connected by ball and socket joints 26 located on'the axis of the tubes 13 with links 2'7. The outer ends of these links 27 are connected with bell-crank levers 28 located within the tubes 13, and from whichbell-crank levers links 29 extend through the tubes 13 for controlling the motors.

As shown in Figs. 1,2 and 6, boostercopter wings 30 and'131' are mountedvon the outer ends of the main wings 9, there being two sets of boostercopter wings on each of the main wings and arranged to operate in opposite directions;

These boostercopter wings 30 and 31 aredesigned for rotation in opposite directions from eachother, as shown in Fig. 6, which represents a section therethrough, and shows the means of supporting the boostercopter wings and allowing v in thepedal 23 torelease rotation thereof in opposite directions. Each of the main wings .9 has a supporting. structure 32, on which ashaft 33 is mounted, and'extend's within a sectional shaft 34, the sections of which "are provided with anti-friction bearings 35 for vkeeping/ the sectional shaft 34 spaced from the thereto, which meshes with idle gears 38 journaled on pins 39 extending radially through and carried by the frame 32. The opposite sides of the gears 38 mesh with a gear 40, which is fixed to the lower end of the sectional shaft 34. e 1

The gears 38 mesh with the gears 3'1 and 40 and transmit motion between the latter two gears, causing the same to rotate in opposite directions.

Connected with the shaft 34 is a brake 41, shown as mechanically actuated, by means of links 42, which extend to bell-crank levers 43, and links 44 extending downward from the bell-crank levers 43, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the lower ends of these links 44 being connected with foot pedals 45, normally pressedforward by springs 46. These brakes 41 are provided for the purpose of regulating the speed of descent. :The application of the brakes checks the rotation of the boostercopter wings, thereby diminishing their efllciency, and increasing the speed of the descent, which speed of descent may be checked as desired by the releasing of the brakes and restoring of the free rotation of the boostercopter wings to act in their maximum capacities. I

In'the operation of this type of ship, the ascent is preferably by rotation, by bodily rotating the ship, which is accomplished by turning the motors 11 to opposite sides of the axis of the tubes 13, so that the operation of the propellers 12 will tend to rotate the ,body; 1 on the turntable 2.

As this rotary motion starts, it causes the lateral motion of the axes of the boostercopters, which is increasedby the turning of the ship on the turntable until such lateral speed of. the boostercopters is developed suflicient to raise the ship off of the ground. This spiral or rotary ascent continues until the operator reaches the desired altitude, when he turns the motors so that both face in the same direction. This is accomplished by depressteeth of the hand-wheel 16, and by manually rotating the corresponding hand-wheel half a turn,'which brings thereversed motor to a corresponding positionwith the other motor. Upon 'rele eof the pedal 23, the and-wheel in its fixed position and against rotation.

; the motors 11 may be The operation of the motors as controlled by the throttle 25 causes forward motion of the ship through the air. When turned off or turned to an upright position and operated at a slow speed to cause the ship to'gradually descend, the speed of descent being controlled by the boostercopters 30 and 31, which are regulated by the brakes 41.

In the form shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, the ship 'is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 5, except that i it is substantially {larger and adapted for the transportation of a greater'number of passengers.

In this form'of the invention, the body of the disposed over the body of '54 have their sleeves and journaled in the sides The shaft 33 extends through the sectional shaft'34- and supboostercopter wings 31.. A thrustbetween the upper portions -plane, designated generally by the permits a great bocstercopter wings mounted thereon,

the segment 18 from the the segment 18 again holds it is desired .to descend,

turntable 51. A pilot house 52 is the ship while themain wings-"53 project laterally from opposite sides of the .body 50. In this form, the driving motors 55 projecting laterally from of the pilot house 52 for control'by the pilot located therein, as before mounted on a described. Boostercopter wings 56 and 57 are 53 and are designed as shown in mountedon the main wings for operationin opposite directions, Fig; 6.2. Brakes" 58 "are 'tercgpters 56 and 57.

This type'of ship operates in the same man- -ner- -asidescribed above in connection with the formshownin Figs. v1 to 5. Q

In the'form shown in Figs. loand 11, booster- .copter wings '60 and 61 are hown ,as applied to an ordinary'type of airplane; such as a mononumeral 62 and provided with-main wings 63. and a,driving motor 64. -In'this type of plane, the ,.forward motion of the ship causes the ascent thereof, but the use of booster'copters' and 61 on the wings of the ship will materially affect the ascent and descent of-the ship, causing a more rapid ascent and a vertical descent at apredetermined spee without substantial j'oltingof the ship. At the same time, the use of the boostercopters increase in the fuel load carried by the ship, due to the added buoyancy and lift-' ing power provided by the boostercopters.- The brakes 65 are provided as-before 'forregulating the speed of descent and therespective operation of the boostercopters.

I claim as my'invention: v, 1. In an airplane, the combination of a rigid frame structure having a plurality of sets of each set of boostercopterjwings comprising a pair of superimposed wings adaptedfor rotation in oppoalso provided for the boossite directions, a brake for controlling the action 3. An'airship having a body portion, a base ro-" tatably supporting said. body portion, driving motors for causing rotation of the'body portion on the base, androtatable wings operable by air contact only for causing ascent of the upon rotation of the body portion. I e 4. An airship adapted for rotation, a base ro-v tatably supportingthe airship, means for rotat-v ing the airship on said base, stationary main wings fixed to the airship, and of .booster'copter wings mounted on the main wings and operable by air contact forcausing ascent of the airship.

5. An airship ad pted for-rotation, a base rotatably supporting the airship, means for rotating the airship on said base, stationary main wings fixed to-the airship, a plurality of sets of boostererable byair contact for causing ascent of the airship, each'set of boostercopter wings having a plurality ofsuperposed' wings and means for causing rotation of said-superposed wings in opposite directions.,' 7

. RUSSELL-WHITE.

a plurality of setsv airship 'copter wings mounted on the main wings and op- 

